Pacers Make Sure Series Ends In Six

"That was one of the things that was really bugging us all day to see guys go in the paper and say, `We'll come back to Indiana for Game 7,'" forward Jermaine O'Neal said after the Pacers eliminated the Heat to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

"When teams guarantee victories against a team that won 61 [regular-season] games ... to us it's disrespectful to come in and say, `We're going to beat you.' We wanted to make a statement."

Said point guard Jamaal Tinsley: "Adversity last year killed this team. As a group this year, we help each other and pull for each other."

TINSLEY THRIVES

Tinsley shot just 4 for 14 in Game 6, but made two key baskets in the final three minutes -- a jump shot and layup.

"Any time I was open I was going to put the ball up whether it [went] in or not," Tinsley said. "I wasn't going to be shy or timid. I told myself one of them is going to go in."

CHARITY COLLECTION

The Pacers had a huge third quarter at the free-throw line. They attempted 17 free throws and made all but two. Ron Artest was 7 for 9 at the line in the quarter.

"It was real big," Tinsley said. "That was the key of the game, us hitting free throws."

The Pacers finished 26 of 33 from the line. The Heat made 19 of 22.

STREAK BROKEN

Not only were the Pacers relieved to end this series, they took special satisfaction in breaking the Heat's 18-game home winning streak.

With one minute left and the Pacers ahead by two points, O'Neal skied to block Caron Butler's layup. In doing so, O'Neal said Butler "stuck his finger in my [left] eye."

O'Neal lay on the baseline for a few minutes before walking off the court. He later returned.

BENCH WARMER

Reserve center Scot Pollard did not play in Game 6 and hasn't seen action in seven of the Pacers' 10 playoff games. He has played just 13 minutes combined in series against Boston and Miami. Before he was traded by Sacramento, Pollard played no fewer than 70 minutes and as many as 193 in five playoffs with the Kings.

"It's mostly had to do with matchups," coach Rick Carlisle said. "If we had played New Orleans with their size, Pollard would have been the guy in the rotation probably, instead of [Austin] Croshere because that's how we did it during the year."